Seven year-old Kennedy Yeaman on her favourite horse Sienna, with PRANCE Therapeutic Riding Coach, Jenn Sanderson (right), September 2. Kennedy donated her birthday money, $200, to PRANCE after she completed their summer camp program.
Megan Dunn, Saugeen Shores Hub
On Kennedy Yeaman’s seventh birthday she did not ask for gifts, but rather money, so she could donate it to PRANCE (Pegasus Riding Association Nurturing Challenged Equestrians), the non-profit organization at which Kennedy spent some time this summer for camp. Overall Kennedy donated $200 to PRANCE and Operations Manager and Volunteer Coordinator, Ann Veyvara-Divinski knows just where the donation will go.
“We’re looking to buy more child’s saddles because they’re small bums on big horses and we need a little saddle... so I think it will go right for that because it would be kind of neat to have the ‘Kennedy Yeaman Saddle’,” said Veyvara-Divinski, who admitted that PRANCE doesn't go about naming things lightly.
She said that it would be awesome if more people took Kennedy’s lead. “It was just so enlightening and inspiring to have a young lady not get presents for her birthday but give to a local organization. How cool is that? If we get more young people doing that the world will be a better place and I thank Kennedy and her mom for thinking of us.”
Sara Yeaman said she was proud of Kennedy, who rides Sienna when she’s at PRANCE, for donating her birthday money to the local organization. “[Kennedy] loves PRANCE, she did summer camp here, she loves Sienna and she loves horses,” Yeaman said, later admitting that if she had enough money she would buy a horse of her own. “I like seeing her on the horse, she seems to really connect with them,” said the proud mother.
As summer camps have come to an end, autumn programming for therapeutic riding at PRANCE is set to begin September 19 and will continue for 10 weeks. Veyvara-Divinski said that PRANCE is always looking for volunteers to help with the horses and programming.
Mother Sara (left) and Kennedy Yeaman hold a child’s saddle with PRANCE Operations Manager and Volunteer Coordiantor, Ann Veyvara-Divinski, September 2.